Late Nate in a Race

McCully, Emily Arnold   Late Nate in a Race     

 Holiday House     2012  unp

$14.95      978-0-8234-2421-4   G    elem  Animal stories     

I Like to Read series  

Nate is rarely early for anything. He dawdles and usually has to be prodded to get anywhere on time. A beginning reader, this book allows emerging readers to show off their new skills.  The illustrations allow readers to easily follow Nate through the story because of his blue-and-white striped shirt. However, the clothing design on anthropomorphic characters is the only detailed element in the illustrations.  The road sign "Bear Right" on a curvy road placed next to a bear on the right side of the road provides a humorous moment, as does naming the race organizer, a rabbit, Mr. Bun.  Nate is a slowpoke at almost everything. His parents want him to take part in a race, but have trouble getting Nate downstairs to eat breakfast and later to get him into the car to travel to the race.  Once at the race start line, Nate fails to take off when the start signal is given.  Once Nate finally takes off, he ends up winning the race with speed no one knew he had.  No motivation is given for Nate’s sudden change of speed. The story is told in a halting rhyming format that does not always hold true to its form from one page to the next.  The best part of the book is the simple vocabulary that will build confidence in emerging readers.   

     

G     Lois McNicol      Stories in rhyme, Easy readers